The owners of the five restaurants must destroy and evacuate their facilities by April 20, the Rishon Lezion Magistrates Court ruled.

When Rishon Lezion became a city in 1950 it had a population of just over 10,000; by 2020 it is expected to reach 315,000..
(photo credit: RISHON LEZION MUNICIPALITY)

The Rishon Lezion Magistrate’s Court approved the evacuation of five beachside eateries in the central Israeli city on Tuesday, accepting the state’s previous decision on the subject and rejecting the business owners’ appeals.

As part of the “Coasts Project” run by the State Attorney’s Office and the Environmental Protection Ministry, and according to the stipulations of the 2004 Coastal Environment Law, the state had issued removal orders for the five restaurants in question – built without permission on the Rishon Lezion beach, a Tel Aviv District Attorney’s Office statement said.

The aim of the project is to restore the country’s coastal resources and provide the public with free passage on the beaches, the statement said.

Many of the beachside snack stands and restaurants in Rishon have been operating for the past 20 years, more than a decade before the passage of the law that prohibits building within 300 meters of the coast. While the vast majority operate with permits from the municipality, the five in question ran their facilities illegally without acquiring updated licenses, the state argued.

The five restaurants are Briza Al Hayam, Layla Beach, 4x4, Hof Hadromi and Hof Hashaket, the Environmental Protection Ministry said. A few months ago, ministry officials sent alerts to the restaurant owners demanding that they remove their illegal structures from the Rishon beach, as part of comprehensive measures being taken in the context of the Coastal Environment Law.

“Preserving the coastal environment and the unique resource of the beachfront is designed to optimally serve all the citizens of Israel, for open and free use in our ti me and for the next generations, as well as to protect the ecological environment and animals who share the coastal environment,” the court ruling said.

“The defendants are seeking to maximize their profits by operating snack stands and significantly exceeded the permits granted to them, in a manner that not only critically harms the coastal environment, but undermines the public’s right to free use of beaches.”

The owners of the five restaurants must destroy and evacuate their facilities by April 20, the Rishon Lezion Magistrate’s Court ruled.

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